Chicken-coop.



E. E. BELL, CHICKEN COOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1912.

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PATENT FFTCE.

ERNEST E. BELL, OF CGUNCIL HILL, OKLAHOMA.

CHICKEN-COOP.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EnNns'r E. BELL, a citizen of the United. States, and a resident of Council Hill, in the county of Muskogee and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chicken- Coops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in chicken coops.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efiicient means for automatically controlling a number of chickens or other fowls whi h may enter the coop at one time.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a coop constructed in accordance with this invention showing the door in closed position; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof with the door in open position; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section; Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the coop; Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line B-B of Fig. 8; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the coop.

In the embodiment illustrated a coop of any suitable material is shown, preferably constructed of sheet metal, and having a gable roof and provided at one end with a door opening E disposed a suitable distance from the bottom to provide for the operation of the internal mechanism hereinafter to be described. This door opening E is closed by a vertically sliding door D mounted in suitable guides E shown in the form of an odset strip which extends around the sides and bottom of said opening E, the bottom portion of said strip forming a stop for limiting the closing movement of the door. This end or front face of the coop is provided with vents arranged at suitable points, one vent V being here shown near the bottom of the coop and two V at the top thereof, those at the top being in the form of crescents with the outstruck portion forming them. arranged to form water sheds V.

A door raising element is here shown in the form of a wire D secured at one end to the top of the door D and passing through eye pulleys D arranged at opposite ends of the hip of the roof and secured at its outer Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1912.

Patented Feb. 24:, 1914.

Serial No. 689,429.

end to one end of a lever Sb. This lever S6 is fulcrumed intermcdiately of its ends in an opening 0 formed in the rear wall of the coop at a point about midway the height thereof, said opening being sufficiently large to permit the free play of the lever during its operation.

A pan P of approximately the same size as the interior of the coop is suspended from the inner end of the lever Sb by means of wires VJ or other suitable supports. This pan is preferably provided with a rim P which is cut away at a point opposite the door opening E to provide for the ready entrance of the fowls through said opening onto said pan or platform.

A sliding weight or rider It is mounted on the bar or lever S?) and is adapted to be secured in adjusted position thereon by means of a set screw So. This weight or rider It is designed to counterbalance the weight of the pan P and is arranged on said scale bar or beam S6 at a suitable point to counterbalance a certain weight placed on the pan P so that when a predetermined weight is placed on the pan it will overbalance the rider R and cause the pan to descend into the coop carrying with it the weight placed thereon which is designed to be a certain number of chickens or other fowls. When this pan descends, the outer end of the lever Sb rises and permits the door D to lower by gravity into the closed position shown in Fig. 1.

A suitable stop S is arranged near the bottom of the coop and is here shown in the form of a flange extending laterally from opposite sides of the coop and on which the pan is designed to rest when in its extreme lowermost position. As shown, should it be desired to hold the pan and dirt primarily a suitable height, the weight or rider may be brought against the rear flat wall of the coop, whereby a desired number of chickens may be accommodated before being weighed or otherwise handled.

Any desired number of vent openings V may be arranged in the sides of the coop below the flange S and a vent V is also arranged in the rear wall of the coop near the bottom thereof. By placing the vents at the front of the coop, one near the bottom and the others near the top thereof, suitable ventilation is provided for the fowls without subjecting them to drafts.

In the operation of this coop the weight B being adjusted at the proper point on the scale beam S6 to counterbalance a number of chickens weighing a predetermined quantity, the pan will be held by said weight in raised position approximately level with the lower wall of the door opening in position ready to receive the fowls entering through said door and after a sufficient number have entered the pan to overbalance the weight It, the pan will slowly descend carrying with it the chickens or other fowls and the door D will slowly close thereby safely housing the chickens within the coop without frightening them. By this arrangement it will be obvious that only a certain number or weight of chickens may enter the coop at one time and thus over crowding and suflocation is prevented. By

graduating the scale bar or beam S?) the weight of the chickens on the pan may be determined and hence the device performs the double function of a scale for weighing chickens entering the coop and of means for holding the door open until a predetermined weight has been placed on the pan.

I claim as my invention:

A chicken coop comprising a casing having a door opening in its front wall spaced from the bottom thereof, a slidably mounted door forming closure for said opening, a tray mounted to move freely and vertically within said casing, a lever fulcruined intermediately of its ends in the rear wall of said casing in a plane above said door opening with one end projecting outside said casing suspension members secured to the inner end of said lever and to saic tray for suspending the latter within the casing, guides on the top of said casing, a flexible member passing over said guides and attached at one end to said door and at its opposite end to the outer end of said lever whereby said door may be normally held in raised position, and a rider slidably mounted on the outer end of said lever etween the rear wall of the casing, whereby the lever is adapted to be held in a desired position before the chickens are weighed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST E. BELL.

Witnesses VVILsoN N. BELL, Roxin M. BELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of intents.

Washington, .D. 0. 

